Re: AS, hackers, computers

[Guest guest]

, so Jennie is irrational because she doesn't feel as you do?

And FYI, your subsequent 'sorry your so cross' doesn't forgive your

prior remark. Verleen

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[Guest guest]

Ron, you make some good points on why some people break the

rules/laws because they do it for the greater good. However, in our

hacker case, if he was doing something for the greater good, he would

be espousing that and not claiming his AS made him do it. These

nose-picking computer geeks have done a lot of damage to everyone

just because they have the ability to do so. That's why we have to

have an anti-virus program on our computers. I, for one, would like

to see them all fry.....someplace. Now before anyone starts

thinking I'm a staunch supporter of our U.S. military system, let me

asure you of the opposite. And strongly so. Verleen

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> Jennie and all,

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> I’m not at all confident about this discussion. Sure, I too am

very much hooked into obeying laws and fulfilling the rules of

behavior.

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> But there is still a bit of a grey area here. Governments, even

of our own proud societies have been known to do wrong and immoral

things. And they almost inevitably have a series of rules and

guidelines that forbid people to disclose such wrongdoing, folks

known in our country as ‘Whistleblowers’.

> There is surely an obligation on persons of conscientiousness and

morality to uncover and to disclose such evils. Then probably we

all know about corporate bodies and businesses that proscribe all

sorts of penalties for persons in their employ who reveal any sort of

secret facts about their doings, however wrong or immoral.

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> Ghandi didn’t obey the rules, - neither did Mandela, or

others. They sure suffered for their courage and their

steadfastness. I think of protesters who have broken into

factories and facilities in order to expose evils that were being

covered up by the bosses. Union men who suffered fines, gaol and

persecution and even assassination in order to expose abuses and to

bring about reforms that we all enjoy nowadays. Recall the song ..

“Ballad of Joe Hill’, a true and tragic story of courage and

sincerity. We think too of persons of the Christian (or Islamic,

or Judaic or Buddhist) faith who illegally maintain their religious

practices in countries where it is against the law. Are we going to

say that they shouldn’t?

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> I’ve heard too of Hackers who by breaking into secret computer

systems, have drawn attention to things that were being hidden. Oh

yes, these people have suffered for their courage and their

enterprise in so many cases. They are inevitably well acquainted

with the reprisals and sanctions that would follow their actions.

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> Now I’m not suggesting that our contemporary AS hacker is acting

on the best of motives. I just don’t know. And for all we know,

maybe he uncovered certain things that were being illegitimately

covered up. Maybe his admittedly illegal actions have now brought

about some rethinking on behalf of the authorities that they needed

to do. Maybe they will have recognized now some discrepancies and

weaknesses in their systems that they didn’t see before.

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> I’ve even heard of some brilliant Hackers who after exposure for

their illegal entries, were bought off and given high salaried

positions in the organizations that they got into. If this bloke is

just so clever, then the authorities might do best to direct him into

some job wherein his talents can be used for good and profit.

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> My guess is that the AS hacker did what he did, simply because he

could. A bit like the man who climbs the highest mountain. He

does it simply because it is there. He would have to have been

aware of the consequences if it goes wrong, or if he’s caught.

But in the meantime, he is probably feeling a great sense of

satisfaction at having done what he set out to do.

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> Ron.

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